1 Forum of Labour Market Ministers Supply and Demand Workshop STATISTICS CANADA LABOUR MARKET DATA SOURCES Vancouver, October 2007.

1

Forum of Labour Market Ministers

Supply and Demand Workshop

STATISTICS CANADA LABOUR MARKET DATA

SOURCESVancouver, October 2007

Vancouver, October 2007 2

Outline

Organization of the Labour Market Information at Statistics Canada

Description of the major data sources Methodology and notes of interest Strength and weaknesses Products and Access


LABOUR SUPPLY AND DEMANDMain information sources

In the labour force

UnemployedEmployed

Employees

Self-employed

Employing businesses

Jobs

Job vacancies

LABOUR DEMAND LABOUR SUPPLY (actual)

Population(15+, in scope)

Not in labour force

LABOUR SUPPLY(potential)

SEPH

WES

LFSCensus

SLIDWES

EmploymentInsurance

4

Labour Force Survey


Labour Force Survey

Data strength and limitations New content

Aboriginals Immigrants

Vancouver, October 2007 Social Concepts Course - employment & unemployment module

Why do we have a Labour Force Survey?

Historical origin: To provide information on the labour

market integration of soldiers returning from WWII (1945);

Source of the “official” unemployment rate;

Quarterly survey until 1952; now monthly

Mandatory survey


The Role of the LFS

Economic monitoring: One of the most important measures of the

overall performance of the Canadian economy Backbone of the household survey program

Employment Insurance (EI): The regulations of the EI Act designate the LFS as

the source of monthly unemployment rates for the 58 EI Regions used in the administration of the EI Program

More than eight billion dollars per year are transferred to individuals on the basis of these rates


Sampling Plan

All persons 15 years of age and over; Selection of approximately 54,000

dwellings in Canada (110,000 persons); Each month, 1/6 of respondents are new;

the other 5/6 have been interviewed previously.



In the labour force

Not in labour force

Employed Unemployed

LFS – data collected

Socio-demographic characteristics (age, sex marital status, education)Geography

Job search methodsType of work soughtDuration of job searchActivity prior to unemployment

Reason for leaving last jobSome information on last job (if in last year)

Main activity Interest in working Date last worked

For main job (job worked for the most hours): Occupation/industry Class of worker * Job tenure & permanency * Full/part-time & reason * Hours (usual, actual, overtime) * Underemployment Earnings * Firm size *, Union coverage *Some information on second jobMultiple jobholder


Criteria for Sample Allocation

The CV (coefficient of variation) of the unemployment rate cannot exceed:

2% for Canada 7% for each province 15% for the three-month moving average in

employment insurance regions and census metropolitan areas (12 EIRs and 6 CMAs)

25% for the three-month moving average in economic regions


Need to consider sample variation

Sampling variability: variability results from using a sample of population of interest

0.5% of dwellings in Canada indicates how closely an estimate

approximates the true value for the population

Sampling variability MUST be considered when making inferences from LFS data


Important not to take too much stock in month-to-month changes

Monthly Employment Change, Ontario, Manufacturing, Seasonally Adjusted, 67% and 95% Confidence Interval

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

Jan-00 May-01 Sep-02 Feb-04 Jun-05 Nov-06

(in

000

s)


Need to consider the trend also

Monthly Employment, Ontario, Manufacturing, Seasonally Adjusted

940

960

980

1000

1020

1040

1060

1080

1100

1120

1140

Jan-00 May-01 Sep-02 Feb-04 Jun-05 Nov-06

(000

's)


Things to consider

Make sure to assess month-to-month changes Look at trend Consider other factors (ex. unseasonably warm

weather) A real change can be a one time occurrence too

(ex. Ontario blackout, ice storm, etc.)

Must also consider the level of detail for which you are looking at month-to-month changes

the more disaggregated, the rarer the population, the higher the sampling variability


Need to consider the effect that seasonal patterns can have on data

Should not look at month-to-month employment changes in unadjusted series to learn about recent employment trends

Sometimes may be more appropriate to use unadjusted data


Make decision based on questions you want to answer

Monthly Youth Employment

2000

2100

2200

2300

2400

2500

2600

2700

2800

2900

3000

mars-04 sept-04 avr-05 oct-05 mai-06 nov-06

(000

s)

Seasonally adjusted Unadjusted

October 2006 Social Concepts Course - employment & unemployment module

Two new questions added to identify Aboriginal Peoples in LFS

Aboriginal identity questions added, starting late 2002 in Alberta, 2003 in Territories, 2004 in other western provinces:

1) Are you an Aboriginal person, that is,North American Indian, Métis or Inuit?

2) Are you North American Indian, Métisor Inuit?

Vancouver, October 2007 Social Concepts Course - employment & unemployment module

Aboriginal data for remaining provinces

• Turned on identity question for remaining provinces in January 2007

• First step will be to evaluate quality of estimates

•First release scheduled for fall 2008


Immigrant data collected by the LFS

Starting in January 2006, 5 questions about immigrants were added to the LFS

Objective: To identify immigrants in the LFS and to facilitate analysis of the labour market outcomes of immigrants

Additionally, immigrants also asked all regular LFS questions that were applicable


LFS Immigrant Questions

1. In what country was … born?

2. Is…now, or has he/she ever been, a landed immigrant in Canada?

3. In what year did…first become a landed immigrant?

4. In what month? (asked only if landed in previous 5 years)

5. In what country did…complete his/her highest degree, certificate or diploma?


Release of immigrant data

First release on labour market outcome on September 10th, 2007

Scheduled releases of outcomes by country of birth and country of education for Winter 2008

Scheduled release of quality of work for Summer 2008

Data available through client services


More information

[email protected]



In the labour force

UnemployedEmployed

Employees

Self-employed


Jobs

Job vacancies



Not in labour force


SEPH

WES

LFSCensus

SLIDWES

EmploymentInsurance

24

Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours


The employer collects income tax on employees’ pay

It makes remittances to the CRA Once a month: 30% of employment Twice a month: 10% of employment Four times a month:60% of employment

2 questions added to CRA remittance form in 1993: employment gross payroll

Census of Administrative Data (1)

SEPH


Includes any amount in box 14 of T4 slip (employment income)

Self-employed workers: most are excluded Includes income tax remittances that self-employed

workers make for a salary that they have paid themselves.

Excludes tax remittances that self-employed workers make on behalf of their business, for business income.


SEPH


A Business Number (BN) may have several Payroll Deduction accounts (PD accounts). This is an accounting decision made by the business.

The frequency of the pay for each PD account is not recorded on the form.

Thus, it is not obvious which forms to use: 30 automated rules solve most cases.

The payroll amount on the form represents the total for the group of employees in the PD account.


SEPH


Data Processing

Choice of forms for evaluating the number of employees (BN-PD) – 30 automated rules

Imputation of data Missing forms Pay and employment values not reported Inconsistent values

Use of the Business Register (BR) to: aggregate to the level of the statistical enterprise allocate complex enterprises (more than one province

or industry) Estimates by province and industry, analysis and

corrections

SEPH


Potential for Non-sampling Errors

Response and/or capture errors Choice of form Imputation: effects measured by CVs Allocation by province and industry based on

BR profile industrial coding

Problem of comparability of period 1991-2000 with 2001+

SEPH


Major conceptual differences driving your choice

LFS SEPHType of survey Household survey Business survey

Target population

Civilian non-institutional population age 15 and over

Those receiving a T4

Exclusions -Territories (but an economic region is published separately)-Persons living on Indian reserves-Institutionalized population-Members of Canadian Armed Forces

- Most self-employed- Agriculture, fishing and trapping- Private household services- Religious organizations- Members of Canadian Armed Forces

Reference period

Calendar week that includes the 15th of the month

Last pay period of the reference month. Differs from one employer to the other.

Employment concept

Estimate of employed persons (multiple jobholder are counted only once).

Estimate of jobs (each job occupied by the same person is counted).

Wage concept Estimate of usual wages or salary of employees, at their main job.

Estimate of average (regular) earnings per head (or per paid hour)


LFS SEPHGeography Province/territory of residence Province/territory of employment

Demographic characteristics

Includes age, sex, marital status, educational attainment, and family characteristics.

None.

Industry detail 16 classes. About 300 classes (up to 4 digit NAICS)

Job characteristics

Includes hours worked, job tenure, occupation, involuntary part-time employment, multiple job-holding, absence from work, union status of employees, number of employees at their workplace, and the temporary or permanent nature of their job.

Type of employee (paid by the hour, salaried, other).

Geographic details

Canada, provinces, census metropolitan area (28), economic regions (72).

Canada, provinces and territories.

Major conceptual differences driving your choice


TRACKING LABOUR-MARKET PERFORMANCE Emphasis on LFS

Demographic and other qualitative info Includes self-employment Can measure employment and unemployment rates In Canada, greater investment in household survey

Supporting info from SEPH Industry detail Must remove self-employed to compare to LFS

In-depth analysis of differences currently ongoing


More information

[email protected]



In the labour force

UnemployedEmployed

Employees

Self-employed


Jobs

Job vacancies



Not in labour force


SEPH

WES

LFSCensus

SLIDWES

EmploymentInsurance

Social Concepts Course - employment & unemployment module

Employment Insurance Statistics(EI)


Purpose and Description

To provide data on the number of beneficiaries and benefits paid from the Employment Insurance Program

Data sourced from administrative files of HRSDC microfile of beneficiaries summary file on claims and benefits

paid

EI



In the labour force

Not in labour force

Employed Unemployed

Employment Insurance – what?

Information available on EI recipients: Age, sex Geography (detailed) Claim status (received, allowed) Benefit paid (type, amount) If: disqualified, disentitled

EI recipients could be classified here by

labour surveys if they report they are not looking for a job.

Framework does not work well for EI recipients. They are not equivalent to the unemployed.

Would be EI recipients only if they apply for

EI and are eligible.

EI recipients could be classified here by

labour surveys if they report having a

job.

EI


More information

[email protected]

Social Concepts Course - employment & unemployment module

Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID)

Vancouver, Oct 2007 40

Original Objectives of SLID

To understand and measure changes in the economic well-being of Canadians and factors affecting these changes.

Also the main source of cross-sectional income data, replacing Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) in 1996.

SLID


Survey Design

Longitudinal data, among the first at Statistics Canada Household Panel Survey: from LFS frame Target population: families/individuals in the 10

provinces (non-institutional, off-reserve) Survey Content to measure Economic Well-Being:

Labour market and income data Family composition and its changes Housing Variety of additional “explanatory” variables: Education,

Geography, Activity Limitation

SLID


Survey Design

Households from two “panels” Each panel remains in the survey for six

consecutive years A new panel is introduced every three years Reference year 2004:

third panel completed Reference year 2005:

fourth panel introduced

SLID


Overlapping Sample Design

Reference Year

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Panel 1

Panel 2

Panel 3

Panel 4

Panel 5

SLID


Content & Questionnaires One interview conducted between January and March

following the reference year Interview/questionnaire content:

Preliminary background information Labour Market Experiences, Educational Activity, Family

Relationships, and Income Over 80% of respondents give permission to access their

income tax files in place of income questions Previously (up to reference year 2003), SLID conducted

two interviews each year: January to March for all but income questions; and May for income questions

SLID


Who is interviewed?

Longitudinal respondents: All persons aged 16+ in household selected in the first year

of a panel

People are interviewed for six years

Movers are followed

Cross sectional respondents: All longitudinal respondents, and their cohabitants

Interview content: Income information collected for persons 16+

Labour, education collected for persons 16 to 69

Housing variables collected for every household

Disability collected for every person

SLID


Organization of contentPERSON

LABOUR INCOME & WEALTH

EDUCATION PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

LABOUR MARKET ACTIVITY PATTERNS

WORK EXPERIENCE

JOBLESS PERIODS

JOB INFORMATION

JOB CHARACTERISTICS

ABSENCES FROM WORK

EMPLOYER ATTRIBUTES

INCOME SOURCES

MONTHLY RECEIPT OF UI / WC / SA

ASSETS (not yet available)

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY

LEVEL OF SCHOOLING

DEMOGRAPHICS

ETHNO-CULTURAL

DISABILITY

CHILDREN

GEOGRAPHY

HOUSEHOLD & FAMILY INFO

TRAINING

HOUSING

SLID


More information

[email protected]


Workplace and Employee Survey(WES)


Purpose and Description

To study how businesses respond to economic and technological change, particularly in human resources

WES


Methodology

Annual longitudinal survey of businesses and their employees 1996 Pilot Survey 1st wave of longitudinal survey - 1999

Panel of businesses to be retained in subsequent surveys (up to 8 years)

WES is sun setting

WES


Survey Sample

Sample of 7,000 employers selected from the Statistics Canada

register of businesses interviewed at the business

Sample of 25,000 employees selected from sample of businesses interviewed from CATI site

WES


Survey Data Business characteristics

industry, revenues and expenditures, business strategies, human resource policies, unionisation

Business outcomes growth, organisational change, technological

change, human resource policy shifts Employee characteristics

age, sex, education, training, occupation, work history

Employee outcomes wage, training, use of technology

WES


Survey Outputs

Publication of key findings Special in-depth reports on business

and employee outcomes Micro-data files

researchers public use

WES


More information

[email protected]


Census 2006


Census Labour force questions

14 questions on the census long form questionnaire

Labour force activity in reference week

Job characteristics Work activity since January 1st of

the reference year


Labour force activity in reference week

34. Paid hours35. Absence/layoff36. New job37. Looked for work38. Availability

Work activity filter question

39. When last worked

Industry40. - Name of firm; - Section, plant, dept.41. Kind of business

Occupation 42. Work or occupation 43. Main dutiesClass of worker

44. Type45. Incorporation status

Work activity in reference year49. Weeks worked 50. Full-part time

2006 CensusLabour Force Questions


Week preceding Census Day :

Applies to labour force activity questions. This is the reference period for deriving labour force activity.

January 1st, 2005 to the week preceding Census Day:

applies to industry, occupation and class of worker questions.

Year 2005:

applies to weeks worked and full-time/part-time questions.

Time references


LFS-Census comparaison

LFS Similar concepts Timely (release 20

days after reference week)

Monthly High level

geography High level industry

and occupation Increased additional

content

Census Similar concepts Release 22 months

following reference week

Once every five years Detailed geography Detailed industry and

occupation Can analyse relationships

with other characteristics (Major field of study, mobility, place of work)


More information

www.statcan.ca

1 Forum of Labour Market Ministers Supply and Demand Workshop STATISTICS CANADA LABOUR MARKET DATA SOURCES Vancouver, October 2007.

Documents

labour force survey

labour market information

main job job

mandatory survey slide

access slide

job multiple jobholder

wes employment insurance

job tenure permanency